title: Polyspermy in Bufo arenarum oocytes matured in vitro.
abstract: Full-grown ovarian oocytes of the amphibian Bufo arenarum were induced to mature in vitro by removing the follicular layers (spontaneous maturation) or by treatment with progesterone (hormone-induced maturation). These oocytes were then treated with trypsin and inseminated with homologous spermatozoa. Oocytes matured in vivo that had not undergone any influence of the oviducts (coelomic oocytes), inseminated under the same experimental conditions, were used as controls. The results show that oocytes induced to mature in vitro and exhibiting apparently normal signs of activation were polyspermic. In fact, 2 h after insemination numerous functioning pronuclei could be observed in the animal hemisphere. These results suggest that even though the oocytes which matured in vitro were able to undergo activation after insemination, they were unable to establish an effective block to polyspermy.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas (INSIBIO), Departamento de Biología del Desarrollo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Argentina.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oterino
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sánchez Toranzo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zelarayán
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Bühler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002022:Bufo arenarum / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000662:veterinary*; D006416:Hematoxylin; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D010062:Ovulation Induction / Q000662:veterinary; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000502:physiology*; D013936:Thymidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D014357:Trypsin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D011374:Progesterone; D014357:Trypsin; D013936:Thymidine; D006416:Hematoxylin